Nine of Spades
by Ceresava
Summary: Macavity has been wreaking havoc on local tribes in london, who have all turned to the Jellicles for help. Will it make them a stronger tribe, or will new feuding between old tribes destroy them from the inside? Chapter Eight up 030706
1. The Storm

(Disclaimer: I own not CATS. Cats owns me. Gambol Hall is of my creation. The Dejoun tribe is not. It is the creation of a friend that has been developed into a role-play that I frequent.)

(Note: Not all of my stories involve people err, Jellicles dying. Just most of them. –nodnod-)

Nine of Spades

Bleak. Rainy. Dead.

That was it; the junkyard was dead. It was the perfect way to describe it. Nothing was moving, nothing was breathing. Everyone had retreated into their warm cozy dens to be with their beloved ones. Rain had etched minute waterways into the junkyard. Boxes were soggy and garbage began to reek. More than usual, anyway. Above the stench was the scent of hot, wet concrete wafting in from the city. Everything cat-made in the junkyard was sagging, rotting, or rusting. It was the toll of winter, and it happened every year. The Everlasting Cat willed it to be so, and this tribe accepted his every will.

The tribe! Yes, that was why the white queen staggered up the mudslide of rubbish, staining her paws in the vile rivulets. She was hardly white anymore, though. Her journey began to show in her matted, dirt stained coat. Her yellow eyes were shut tight against the falling water, among other, less pleasant things. None of that matter to her anymore, though. She was almost to the tribe.

The unlucky watch cat was the first to spot her. At first, the queen on duty thought it was just her imagination playing tricks in her mind's eye. Then, as the ragged, battered cat drew herself closer, Demeter shrugged off the thick, coarse bit of fabric that had been keeping her warm and jumped off the last dry rock in the junkyard. She hovered a foot or so away from the unstable edge as the queen dragged herself up. It was fanciful, to say the least, and for a second Demeter feared she had not been getting quite enough sleep. Finally coming to her sense, she held out her paw for the muddy cat, which looked up at it in a sleepy fashion. Her eyes were wary as she took the black queen's paw and was hoisted up onto the solid ledge. She rolled over with the last of her might before falling asleep. Slightly shocked, Demeter peeked at the queen's face before bolting off to Gambol Hall.

The Hall was not particularly spectacular from the outside- it was just another compilation of junk that was slowly sliding toward the ground from the wear and tear of winter weather. Demeter, however, quickly found the entrance to the hall; an old discarded bit of drainpipe that opened out into the main clearing. In the winter, they used spare bits of cloth to block the entrance, keeping the warm inside. To Demeter, the heat was a welcome addition to her nighttime run. She blotted past the deserted mess hall to the nautilus-shell shaped staircase that lead to the dens. However, she ran straight past door after door, whether they were just blankets hanging on a frame or an old hinged bit of wood. She had to get to the bottom. As she traveled further the doors disappeared and became arches leading into the library, which spanned over five or six floors; she had never really cared to count. Finally, after what seemed like decades with the little queen back on the cliff, defenseless and asleep, she reached the last, smaller floor of the staircase. It was a little bit grander, with a carpet on the floor that someone wasteful had thrown away. Here, the important members of the tribe resided; herself, her mate Munkustrap, his two brothers, their mates, and his father, Old Deuteronomy. Out of breath and at the end of her own little journey, she burst through the doors of her den. Munkustrap looked up from cleaning the small smoke vent and immediately forgot the duty to embrace his mate. She, between deep breaths, told him of the little queen back on the watch cliff.

It seemed only moments to Demeter before she, her mate and his brothers were at the cliff, nothing like the long journey down. Much to her relief, the queen was still there. She had woken up and still looked rather dead, but had very much made herself at home underneath the spare bit of cloth she herself had been hiding under only minutes ago. The four of them exchanged quick glances, and Alonzo was the first to approach her. He edge forward carefully to her, and she made no sign of resistance as he picked her up.

"I think… she's in shock." He said, looking down at the listless queen in his arms. "Come on, let's get back to the Hall. Jenny will know what to do." He suggested, nodding toward the drainpipe. The others agreed silently. The walk back to the hall was a quiet one.

The white queen's ears were ringing loudly. She thought she might have heard voices conversing somewhere, but she was not sure to whom they belonged. The cold was getting to her; she was soaked to the bone. Then something happened. One moment, she was laying there on the freezing rock with the soaked cloth wrapped around her, and then the next thing she knew the strong arms of a tom closed around her. She did not recognize his scent and thought briefly of trying to resist, but could not summon the energy. As she went limp, she heard the voices again. Going back somewhere, knowing what to do. It was all very vague. Then, everything was black.

"She passed out." Alonzo commented quietly as they slipped into Gambol Hall again. "She's heavy." He further complained. His brothers sighed in annoyance and Munkustrap offered his arms to carry her. Alonzo gladly deposited her there and raced ahead to wake Jenny.

"She is heavy." Munkustrap said in slight shock. Demeter looked at him quizzically. "I can't think of a reason, though."

"She's soaked." Demeter pointed out, as if it were obvious.

"Oh, yeah. Cats don't get this wet very often, I've never carried one." Demeter chuckled quietly, but then kept walking in silence.

"It's this door." She said as they reached Jenny's oven-den. She lifted the cloth to one side to let Munkustrap in.

"Thanks…" He muttered as he ducked into the tribe nurse's office and den.

"Oh dear, dear, dear…" Jenny fretted over the queen. Demeter and Munkustrap hung over either of Jenny's shoulders, trying to see what was wrong. "Demeter, be a dear and fetch me some dry cloth. Towels or hand cloths, if you can find any." Demeter nodded and blotted out the door and down to the library. The Gambol Library was not like a human library. It was much better than that. It held all the discarded items the Jellicles thought might ever be useful. It sorted them in a special system the Jellicles had created on their own. If ever a Jellicle need something, chances were it was in the Gambol Library. Demeter scurried through the rows, gathering all the little bits of cloth she could. Cloth was scarce during the winter as the Jellicles need to stay warm. However, due to the vastness and organization of the library, Demeter was able to find what she needed fairly quickly and was on her way back to Jenny soon enough.

That night was a long one, even after the queen had been safely delivered to Jenny and dried off. Demeter and Munkustrap returned to their own lair tired and wet. To make matters worse, they were unable to start a fire, for Munkustrap had never finished cleaning the vent. They curled up together on the pillow Demeter's mother had given her when she was young, licking each other dry. It was a long process, but in the end, they were warm, dry, and happy. By the time they fell asleep it was only a few hours until the morning alarm would sound.

That few hours of sleep hardly seemed enough as Demeter dragged herself out of bed to get ready for the day. Her movements were slow and listless until she remember the little white queens she had found only hours before. She finished grooming herself quickly and bid Munkustrap goodbye as she set out for Jenny's den. Much to her surprise, Alonzo and his mate Cassandra were already there. Alonzo greeted her with a crooked smile.

"Cassy couldn't wait to meet her, you know how she is with foreigners." He explained to her as she settled down. "We've been here most of the night and she's only just waking up." Demeter glanced over his shoulder at the oriental shorthair and the white queen, who was now actually white. They were chatting quietly. Demeter did not want to interrupt, but her curiosity got the better of her and she wandered over to them and sat down.

"Who's your friend, Cassy?" She asked with a kind smile. The brown queen smiled back as they exchanged a quick hug and began to explain.

"Her name is Iony, she's from another tribe. She say that-" But she was not given a chance to finish as the queen launched off into her own rendition of the story.

"Our tribe was sabotage'd. The old house we live in was burn' down by this ginga cat- nobody saw much of him, but those who saw him said that his head was domed and he had long whiske's, of which were uncombed."

"Macavity…" Demeter said thoughtfully, still listening carefully.

"Yes, vurry much so." Iony agreed, apparently having heard something different. "Well, anyway, after the house burn' down we were looking for anoth'a tribe to take us in, and this one tribe that lives at the ol' theata, The Dejoun Tribe, I think. Well, they didint have room to let us stay, but said that the Jellicle tribe migh'." She finished, rather bashfully.

"We do. Are you their leader?" Demeter asked her kindly.

"Oh, no, ma'am. I'm jus' the messenger." Demeter exchanged a look with Cassandra.

"You don't have to call me ma'am, Iony. I will speak with my leader, and if he agrees, you and your tribe may stay with us."

"Oh, thank you, ma'am." Iony said, the gratitude showing in her eyes. Demeter nodded goodbye to her and left with Cassandra.

"It's going to be a long week." She murmured. Cassandra agreed.

(A/N's Uhm, well. I had fun writing it Iony doesn't have a cockney accent, by the way. It sounds more southern, if you know what I mean. I don't know why her tribe has southern accents. Just go with it for awhile til I think of something. I'll update as soon as I can.)


	2. Relative to Griddlebone

(Splee! Chapter two up I still don't own cats, by the by.)

Nine of Spades: Relative to Griddlebone

A white flash slipped through the hedge that covered the entrance to the sewers.

"Good Evening, Lady." A black rat greeted her, bowing deeply. The rain-soaked queen snarled, for the underling was in her way and she was in a particularly irritable mood. The rat scampered to one side, allowing her passage. She gave him not another sign of recognition, only retreated further into the sewer.

"Cats…" He mumbled, taking his post again.

"She made it." Griddlebone declared breathlessly to the room at large. There was quiet, quick rejoicing, for the news meant that there would be less work for them. But the joy, if it could even be called that, was short lived, for nobody really particularly cared. Each cat here was incredibly self-centered, Griddlebone thought, in blissful ignorance as she headed toward Macavity's room. As she hopped from pathway to pathway, taking extra care not to touch her tail to the nasty water, she reflected on the day. It had been raining, much to her contempt, and she had gotten soaked. Luckily, Macavity would have her dried by their underling.

"The good life…" She reflected to herself quietly as she reached the 'door' to the room. "Macavity?" She mewled in a sickeningly sweet tone. He pulled back the drape with a heavy sigh, as if the physical labor was taking a toll on him.

"You're drenched." He commented in a way that suggested he might not care.

"Oh really? I had no idea." She said, dropping the sweet tone. Macavity's paws became fists, but quickly relaxed again. He was not used to other cats giving him sass like this queen was allowed to. "Get one of your nasty henchrats to dry me off?" She purred, her eyes filled with feigned pleading. It was an order in disguise, and Macavity knew it.

"I spoil you." He replied bitterly as the rats entered the room with dirty rags and towels to dry the Lady. As soon as they were done, Macavity chased them out of the door with a hiss and flash of sharp claws.

"Now, we need to talk." Griddlebone said, admiring her now dry and slightly glossy fur.

"I know we do." Macavity shot at her. He would have rather have been the one to start the conversation.

"The messenger made it safely to the Jellicle tribe." She reported drolly, almost as if she found it amusing. "But…"

"What?" Macavity urged her. He really wanted this talk over.

"Why do we have to do this?" She asked, suddenly not just a puffy fur ball with a pretty face, but also a puffy fur ball with emotion.

"Do what?" He asked. Although he was slightly taken aback, he tried to hide it under his calm tone.

"This! Ruin the tribe!" She said in an exasperated tone, now pacing the tent. Macavity was silent for a good time. Finally, the ginger tom spoke, although hesitantly.

"Why shouldn't we?" He murmured. This queen may have been the only cat he feared, and he wasn't quite sure why.

"I have family in that junkyard, Macavity! My sister, my only blood sister!" She yowled. He quieted her quickly before trying to convince her.

"Why should we care about Jellylorum?" He asked in the calmest tone he could manage. She make a noise of exasperation.

"Because I love her! No matter how much of a goody-two-shoes she is, she's the queen I grew up with. My only friend!" She threw back at him. He placed a paw on her shoulder.

"I'm your friend now, Griddlebone. You have me, and you have Exotica…" He tried to comfort her. 'Oh, this was so not my style…' He reflected to himself quietly. She continued.

"You have relatives there, too! It's all about you and your stupid grudges!" She screeched, batting his hand away. Desperately hoping none of his minions were listening in, he tried to calm her again.

"Well, my brothers, my father… they abandoned me. It hurt, it really did… but that is not why I'm doing this. I'm doing this so WE can be in charge. So you can be happy!" He said. The one thing that could get to Griddlebone was her own self-content.

"I'm not talking about your brothers, Macavity. I'm talking about your kittens!" He winced. This wasn't going his way.

"There's so much to care about! Victoria, Mistofeeles-" She didn't have time to finish her list, for Macavity's paw came down on her face.

"No Jellicle is a child of mine!" He hissed, thoroughly offended this time. She sat there for a second, paralyzed in fear, but then bolted for the door, knocking over several intruding henchrats as she went. As she raced for the exit of the sewer, she could hear their pleas of mercy as Macavity discovered them. As she reached the exit of the sewer, the guard rat spoke to her.

"Where are you going to go?" He asked drolly. She stared at him for a second. Word sure did get around fast. Finally she gathered her wits and replied as she leaped up to the outer world.

"Home."


	3. Life in Shards

(More disclaimers? Still don't own cats. Big whoop! Ooh, quick note. The kittens call Gus 'Mor Far' which means mother's father. They call Jellylorum "Morra" which is an affectionate term for mother.)

Nine of Spades: Life in Shards

The night Griddlebone set off for the Junkyard happened to be the night her sister was on watch duty. It was lucky for her, really, as Jellylorum was the only Jellicle that would give her a second chance. No, a third chance, she reflected sadly as she recalled the days shortly after the birth of her second litter. A blissful few days they had been, too. However, Macavity, being the cat he was, had ruined that for her. Well, he would not ruin it again.

She walked in peace for a while longer before cold, bitter realization hit her. His plan! Macavity's underhand blow at destroying the Jellicles again. She bit her lower lip in deep thought, which may have hurt mentally more than physically. She could not tell Jellylorum of the plan, for Macavity lay magic on all his secrets, to keep them as such. Her son could not break the magic, either, for it was his ancestor's. She padded along the street in silence for a good long while, waiting for something to hit her. The best solution she came up with was to leave the Jellicles to their own devices. She had faith in them.

The last of those thoughts stopped her in her tracks. Faith? Since when had she had faith in the Jellicles? Sure, last time she was part of the tribe, she'd had faith, but as soon as Macavity came to fetch her it left again, right? But then again, when Macavity planned to interrupt the Jellicle Ball last moon, she'd had faith that they would pull through. The emotions had confused her then, but now they seemed to untangle themselves. Just because Macavity took her back didn't mean she had stopped being a Jellicle. She had been part of the tribe for the last few moons, and her faith never really ended.

After her moment, Griddlebone had a much more shallow thought: now, at least, she had a pitch to give Jellylorum when she reached the Junkyard.

Jellylorum sat under a bit of old rug on the rock on the cliff that overlooked the junkyard. She sorely wished to return to her family and go to sleep. Her kits were probably driving her father and mate up the wall at the very moment, demanding that she sing to them before they would sleep.

"They never really grow up…" She reflected to herself sadly.

"I know exactly how you feel." The familiar yet unpleasant voice made her jump. She whipped around, dropping the old rug.

"Griddlebone! What are you-?" She was interrupted as her younger sister practically pounced on her. Just like when they were young, Jellylorum noticed.

"Oh, I'm so glad it was you out here, Lorie… it could have been anyone…" Griddlebone, at least, knew that this part was complete rubbish: The watch schedule never changed.

"What do you want, Griddlebone?" She asked, pushing the little white queen off of her.

"To live here! With you, or Mistofeeles and Victoria!" She pleaded, putting her paws together in front of her chest.

"Why the sudden change in heart?" Jellylorum asked bitterly, turning back to face the rest of the Junkyard.

"It's not sudden! I was…" Jellylorum turned to look at her again, eyebrows raised in questioning. "Last time, I didn't leave!" She spat finally, as if it were hard to recount what had happened 'last time'.

"Yes, you did…" Jellylorum pointed out to her. "After all, you were there one day, gone the next." Griddlebone nodded, but continued.

"Not of my own accord, anyway. I was… kitnapped! He took me, Lorrie, understand…? Please…?" She asked, exhaling quickly and avoiding eye contact with her older sister.

"Oh, Griddlebone… why didn't you send for help?" Jellylorum said with a sigh as she offered the corner of the rug to her sister, who slid in with her.

"I did, nobody believed me… except the gold queen-"

"Demeter."

"-right, Demeter. She did, I could tell. But she was to afraid to speak out…" Griddlebone finished, finally slightly warm.

"I'm so sorry- you're soaked!" She said as Griddlebone's tail brushed hers.

"Well, yeah. I was only walking for a day." She replied tartly.

"Let's go to the Hall, best to let Jenny take care of you…" They began to move toward the hall.

"Can- can you ask Munkustrap and his family to stay away from me for awhile…?" She stumbled over the words.

"Why?" Jellylorum asked her, slightly shocked.

"The scent, it runs in the family." She said with a cringe. Her cheek still smarted from Macavity's paw, if only mentally. Jellylorum nodded.

"Jenny, please just take care of her… quietly? I have to talk to the elders…" Jellylorum pleaded, her rain-soaked little sister standing pitifully next to her. Jenny finally agreed with a heavy sigh and took Griddlebone into her den. Jellylorum ran back up the staircase to her den. She slipped into the old file cabinet, sans drawers. There was general mayhem inside.

"Mor Far, Etcy won't let me play with the mouse. Tell her I can play with it!"

"Electra, dear, let Etcetera play with her mouse. You can play with this puppet. You always wanted to be a puppeteer, right?" Gus offered lamely, the three kittens crawling all over him.

"Etcy, Lecy, Jemmy! Get off your Mor Far, he's tired." Jellylorum said warily, pulling herself into the den.

"Morra, Morra!" They called, moving the mob slightly to the right to engulf Jellylorum, who looked at her mate with pleading eyes.

"Come to bed, kits." Skimbleshanks called in attempt to move the mob into their bed. They obeyed with some reluctance. "Now, sing to them before they get up again." Skimbleshanks pleaded to Jellylorum, who did just so.

As she finished and Skimble went to bed, she curled up with her father, who just so happened to be one of the tribe elders.

"Far, what would you do if Griddlebone returned?" She asked after some general conversation, to make the topic sound hypothetical.

"I suppose it would matter why she returned…" He pondered, trailing off. "Why? Do you want to tell me something, kit?" She bit her lip, partly at his ability to read her so well and partly at being called a kitten.

"Tonight, while I was on watch duty, Griddlebone came back." She admitted.

"Why did she return?" He inquired. She hesitated.

"Macavity kidnapped her, and she's only just now been able to escape. She seemed a little bit jumpy… not as much as Demeter… but…" She trailed off, thinking back to her behavior and request.

"Then, I say it is alright for her to live with the tribe, since she never left it. I'd advise that you go tell her, where ever you have stowed her away." Jellylorum beamed in a most kitten-like fashion and then bounded off to Jenny's.

"Griddlebone! Guess what?" Jelly asked as she skidded to a halt by her sister.

"What?" She humored her sister warily.

"You're still part of the tribe!" Jellylorum said in a chipper voice. "Come on, let's go see Victoria and Mistofeeles." Griddlebone smiled.

"I miss them…" She said in a dreamy sort of voice.

"Well, we've no time to loose." Jellylorum pointed out, dragging her out of the oven.

"Mistofeeles? Have you seen my… oh." Victoria greeted Jellylorum. She had never been particularly fond of her aunt, but accepted short visits from her every now and then.

"Seen your what? Oh…" Mistofeeles greeted in a similar fashion.

"Well, hello to you too. I actually brought someone you might be interested in along." She greeted them bitterly, pulling her sister into the room. There was an awkward silence and Jellylorum took the chance to slip out of the room. The silence continued.

"Well… ah…" Griddlebone murmured, moving into their den. It was neater than Jenny's was, with two beds and a wall that led to another room, apparently. Unlike the other dens she'd seen, it wasn't an old appliance or piece of furniture, but carved into the junkpile and walled with bits of wood. She admired the handiwork briefly before her daughter spoke, slowly, cautiously.

"What are you doing here? You're not part of this tribe anymore." She said, moving in front of her brother protectively.

"Actually, I am. I was never not part of the tribe." She said, eyeing the drawings on a shelf. Some of them were of her, she noticed.

"What…?" Victoria asked, shooing Mistofeeles into the other room.

"I was taken by force. I didn't decide to go back with your fa- Macavity." She said correcting herself quickly.

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" Victoria screeched.

"You believed Demeter! How is she any different?" Griddlebone pleaded, backing up slightly. Victoria paused, although there was still a vague look of loathing in her eyes. Finally, she sighed.

"Mistofeeles..." He emerged from behind the wall, still hanging behind his sister. "It's alright." She comforted, ruffling his head fur. He sighed.

"Well?" He finally spoke, after another long, awkward pause.

"Well what?" Griddlebone asked as kindly as she could manage.

"What do you want?" He demanded, eyeing his mother warily.

"I want… to… ah… live with you?" She questioned, squirming slightly. Victoria and Mistofeeles exchanged a glance.

"Alright… but only for now." Victoria agreed reluctantly. "Why don't you go get a bed from the Library? You can sleep in the back room."

Griddlebone left the room happy.


	4. The Submissive

(Assume that there is a witty disclaimer telling you that I do not own cats at the beginning of every chapter from here on out. Meowy Christmas, all!)

Nine of Spades: The Submissive

Jemima skittered down the spiral stairs, being dragged by the bag of gifts almost as big as she was. She managed to pull it into control to branch off into the library, dragging it back to the vaults. She dropped it and sighed.

"I've never felt old before…" She said to herself as she rubbed the small of her back, which was sore from dragging the bag through the maze-like hallways of the library. She heard a laugh from behind her.

"Old…?" It was her sister, Etcetera. She had an amused grin on her face. "What does 'old' feel like?" Jemima rolled her eyes and upturned the bag, letting all the gifts fall onto the floor.

"Will you help me put them in the right vaults?" She asked, picking up a whimsically wrapped gift.

"Where did you get all this paper?" Etcetera asked, looking on in awe. She extended her paw for an especially shiny gift.

"Actually… they were for me…" Jemima said reluctantly, pulling at the tag on her dog collar. Her sister's jaw dropped.

"You're kidding! They're for you and you're giving them away?" She asked, slightly stunned.

"Well I don't need them! My pets just like to spoil me." She said, a satisfied smirk on her face. Etcetera looked down at the dog tag hanging on the piece of twine tied around her neck. She sighed.

"My pets give me food. That's enough for me." She said, her tail flicking back and forth nervously. Jemima sighed and handed her a box with bits of foil taped to it.

"This one's for you." She said with a kinder smile.

"Oh, Jemima… thank you!" She squealed, taking the box from her. "Can I open it?"

"It is Chriss-mass." She said, stumbling over the human word. She watched her sister pull at the foil until it was unwrapped.

"It's a box." She said, an odd look on her face. Jemima laughed worriedly. If she had to explain this to every cat in the tribe, she'd never get all the presents handed out.

"I think you're supposed to open the box." She said slowly, not wanting to make her sister feel silly or stupid. It didn't work.

"I knew that!" She said, ripping the tape with a claw. "Oh! It's a mouse."

"What?" Jemima asked in a shocked fashion.

"A stuffed mouse!" Etcetera corrected herself, picking it up.

"Oh. It's cute." She said with a grin. "I hope there's nothing girly in here…" She said, suddenly realizing that the presents were for her, and not the toms of the junkyard.

"Maybe we should open them all, and then choose what to give who?" Etcetera suggested, glancing at the pile and then back at her sister.

"That's a good idea. Why don't you start at that end?" Jemima asked, picking a present up.

As the kittens finished their job, they starred at the pile of toys and ribbons in front of them.

"Couldn't they think of something to give me besides stuffed mice and ribbons?" She asked, a tone of concern in her voice. Etcetera sighed.

"Pets can be really stupid sometimes." She offered while she sorted through a pile of mice.

"I know! You can even call them stupid and they'll just smile and say how cute you are." She laughed with her sister as she lay out multicolored ribbons in a line. "What are we going to do with these?" She sighed as she picked up a green and blue ribbon with small pearls dripping off it.

"Why don't we give the queens ribbons and the toms mice?" Etcetera offered, sniffing a mouse. "This one has catnip in it!" She said, plucking at the seams.

"Cut it out! You know we're not allowed catnip." She said, snatching for it.

"Let's give this one to the Tugger." She said with a giggle, holding it just out of Jemima's reach.

"Oh, Cet, that'd be so rude!" Jemima said, still snatching for it.

"Everyone knows he's a niphead!" She said, still laughing as her smaller sister grabbed at the illegal toy.

"Etcetera, give me that mouse." She demanded in a stern voice.

"What are you going to do with it?" She questioned, narrowing her eyes at her.

"Give it to Jenny, or Demeter, or morra! Someone who'll do something responsible with it!" She said, holding a paw out for her sister.

"Fine. You're no fun." She said, dropping it in her paw. "But I still think we should give it to the Tugger. We're short one, otherwise." Jemima looked at the pile and bit her lip. She didn't want anyone to be left out.

"Okay, fine. But if anyone gets in trouble, it'll be you." She said, throwing it back at her.

"Why? You're the one giving out the gifts." She said, playing it happily.

"Oh, you'll be giving that one out." She said slyly, returning to the ribbon pile.

"Really?" She asked excitedly. "I'd do anything to get his attention…"

"I know that about you. Now, come help me choose which ribbon will go to Rumpelteazer." She commanded, hanging over the pile of satin and silk.

"Oh, the one with the pearls!" She said, pointing at the green and blue one.

"Perfect." Jemima said with a smile, slipping it into a box.

Demeter padded up the staircase with Cassandra. They spoke quietly of what they had learned from Iony and when the tribe would be arriving.

"She mentioned a name- LeFaye." Cassandra said, thinking hard. Demeter nodded.

"The LaFaye Lot. They live in a building that was being demolished, but nobody every finished the project. It's always been a small tribe, if most of them died then there can't be many left." She observed as they reached the main room of the Hall.

"And then there's the other question." Cassandra said, nodding to the dance hall. They turned into the slightly smaller room, which was wide and open with various pillows lining the walls.

"What's that?" Demeter asked, settling down to watch the others practice.

"Why did they send her? She's only a kitten. Why would they think that a kitten would be more likely to make it than a full-grown tom?" She pondered, watching as Victoria sunk into splits.

"I'm not sure… she does have a certain air of…" She said, trailing off while thinking for the right word.

"Stick-to-itiveness?" Cassandra offered. Demeter snorted.

"That's not a word!" She said between her laughs and Cassandra's. "But yeah, actually, that's just about it… Stick-to-itiveness." They giggled for a while longer as they watched Victoria and her brother dance.

Etcetera and Jemima bound through the hall, delivering gifts. Finally all they had left in their sack was the catnip mouse. Etcetera giggled. Jemima sighed.

"Well, let's go find him then." She said, slinging the almost-empty bag over her shoulder and continued forward. "I bet he's in the upper hall. Come on."

They hurried up a smaller staircase to the upper hall, where the Tugger was indeed showing off for some queens. Etcetera sidled into the crowd and Jemima followed her. As they watched the Tugger show off, Etcetera slipped a tag over the neck of the mouse.

"Hey, Tugger, catch!" She mewled loudly, tossing the toy in his direction.

"Discreet, Etcy! That wasn't discreet!" Jemima hissed, pulling her out of the crowd as the Tugger winked at her. She struggled but then gave up and followed her sister behind a bit of an old car, which separated the hall from the lounge.

"I don't even know what discreet means! Hey, who're you?" She said, suddenly noticing another queen was hiding behind the car door, looking out on Tugger. She'd never seen her before. The little white queen jumped, a red paw flying to her face to protect it.

"Oh… I'm Iony, ma'am." She said, peeking over the door again. "Who's that…?" She asked, absolutely enthralled by the Tugger. Etcetera puffed up.

"Who's that? Who is that?" She asked, as if highly offended. Jemima made a cutting motion at her throat to indicate that it would be a good time to stop talking to her sister, but her mimed attempts were in vain. "_That _is the Rum Tum Tugger, who's only the greatest tom of all time!" She said, now pacing back and forth.

"He's got lovely eyes." Iony said quietly, still glancing just over the top of the car.

"And legs." Etcetera said, joining her. Jemima gagged a little. Her sister heard the sarcastic noise and whipped around. "What? Can't a queen admire the most handsome tom ever?" She said, sinking back against the car door, still facing her sister. Iony joined her shortly afterwards, looking equally love struck.

"I should go talk to him." She said in a half-trance-half-daze. Etcetera puffed up again.

"Oh, don't do that. He'll only ignore you." She warned, a strange look of earthly knowing passing across her face.

"Surely a tom so lovely would have very nice manners as well." She said, moving to leave the lounge area. Etcetera grabbed her tail.

"Stop calling him lovely! That is such a gender-specific word. And, anyway, if anyone's going out there, it's going to be me." She said, letting go of her tail and crossing her arms over her chest. Mistake. Iony scurried out into the upper hall's main room, settling down to the left of the crowd for a moment before making her way up to the Tugger.

"Hello, sir." She said rather bashfully. He shot an amused look at the crowd of queens who had fallen silent and then turned his gaze back to Iony.

"Hello, there. Don't think I've met you." He said, holding out a paw for her to shake. She stammered.

"My name's Iony… ah…" She said, her arms locking up. She figured just in time that she should shake his paw.

"It's nice to meet you, Iony. Would you like to dance?" He asked. Surprisingly, there was no noise of disagreement from the crowd, only sly giggles.

"Why that little…" Etcetera said, making to go out and take her place with the Tugger. Jemima put a paw on her shoulder.

"He's got that look in his eye. Like that one…" She said, trailing off. They both thought hard.

"Right before he dropped Bombalurina!" Etcetera breathed. Jemima nodded. "We should do something! She thinks he's a gentleman… and she's new! Poor kit…" Etcetera sighed. Jemima pulled herself up to the window again.

"Let's hope she figures it out for herself." She said, watching them dance. Etcetera didn't feel like watching and ignored whatever Jemima said after that point in time. The only things she heard were a dull thud and then the malicious laughter of the crowd of queens. Jemima sighed.

"Well, what happened?" She asked, underwhelmed. She hated it most when Tugger was mean to queens.

"Well, when they finished dancing, I think Iony got the impression that she was going to kiss him." She sighed, flicking a piece of dust off her arm.

"And?" Her sister prompted with a sad sigh.

"He let her get pretty far. Then he moved, she fell on her face, and now they're all laughing at-" She began, but she was cut off by an angry voice.

"Tugger! What the hell are you doing?" The kittens slumped behind the car door perked up again.

"Bombalurina!" They said in time with Tugger, although their tone was much more amused than his.

"What happened to her?" The red queen asked, pointing at the kitten who was curled up on the floor.

"I- uh…" He muttered, backing up. Bombalurina was ever-so-slightly taller than her mate, though at the moment she seemed to tower over him.

"WHY do you always insist on hurting other queens?" She asked, backing him up into a wall while wagging a finger at him.

"I didn't h-hurt her!" He mumbled, cowering slightly. The crowd of queens had begun to disperse and some of them were giggling. Etcetera had a feeling that Iony was no longer the laughing stock.

"Maybe, just maybe you didn't hurt her physically, but look at the kitten and then tell me she's alright with a straight face." She said, her nose wrinkled in anger.

"She looks alright to me…" He practically whispered. The sound of Bombalurina's paw hitting his face rang out through the room and there was a collective 'ooooh' noise that rose from the various queens that had stuck around. Bombalurina wheeled around and began yelling again.

"This is OUR business!" She said, jabbing at the Tugger. "Get back to yours. You're coming with me." She added, dragging him out of the room.

Jemima glanced at her sister.

"Merry Chriss-mass, Etcetera." She said with a wide grin on her face.

"Meowy Chriss-mass, Jemima." She giggled.


	5. White and Gold

((The original chapter that was supposed to go here was called 'Trash and Treasure' and centered on the notorious duo- Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer. While I really enjoyed writing the chapter, my beta (Taffy-chan!) noted that some of the themes might fall under an 'M' rating. Stupid 'M' rating. For any fans of the troublemaking tabbies, I intend to rewrite 'Trash and Treasure' back into the story later on. Right now, I have just posted the sixth chapter in its place. The storyline might jump around a little to fix these problems, but I just was not able to make the original chapter work at this place in the story anymore. Sorry, I've really done my best to make it flow. ; ))

Chapter Five: White and Gold (And How they Differ)

Griddlebone's first week back with the Jellicles went smoothly until she found herself being pulled aside by Macavity's silver counterpart. She cringed slightly as he grabbed her arm, but followed him nonetheless, not wanting trouble on her record so early on. He led her all the way down the big staircase to the last level before the ground floor. She was led to a small, round room that was crowded with cats. She struggled momentarily as she tried to remember their names.

The leader, of course, was Old Deuteronomy. He was easy to pick out. Then there was her sister and father, again, she had no trouble identifying them. The little queen that Griddlebone had constantly referred to as 'Goldie' (much to her contempt) was there too. Old habits die hard, she reflected as she scanned her memory for the queen's name. Demeter, that was it. Little golden Demeter. So much like her, yet loved so much more. Demeter's friend was off to her side, the tall red one. Bombalurina. She'd hung around Macavity's tribe, too. An oriental brown Griddlebone hadn't seen around before sat next to the white-and-black Jellicle who had earned the nickname 'Patches' among Macavity's tribe. Patches was to the right of The Rum Tum Tugger. A name like that was one nobody ever forgot. She racked her brain until she came up with most of their names, running over them once again. Old Deuteronomy, Gus, Jellylorum, Munkustrap, Demeter, Bombalurina, Alonzo, and The Rum Tum Tugger. Griddlebone prayed that the oriental brown's name would come up before she was expected to address her.

She sat down carefully, glancing around the table multiple times. An uneasy silence hung over the group, nobody quite sure what to say. Her father started them off quickly, noting the tension hanging on his daughters' shoulders. As he started, Jellylorum and Griddlebone both gave off quiet sighs of relief.

"While all of you know why we're here, I believe my youngest does not…" He made brief eye contact with her as she shook her head slowly. Her father continued. "The council of the Jellicle tribe has gathered to vote on…" He stumbled. Griddlebone buried her face in her hands. He'd forgotten what he was saying. There was ear-drum splitting silence ringing through the room as they waiting for him to continue. Demeter finally spoke to prompt him.

"The re-admission…"

"Ah, yes… that's it. The council of the Jellicle tribe has gathered to vote on the re-admission of the queen Griddlebone, who left due to unknown reasons." He finished. There was a sigh of relief among the council.

"Unknown reasons?" Griddlebone spat, her tail flicking back and forth.

"Well, dear, we really haven't gotten a straight answer from you…"

"Kitnapped!" She repeated in an annoyed tone. Demeter scoffed.

"Of course you were." She said in a nonchalant fashion, her tail flicking back and forth. Cassandra's gaze shifted between her friend and the new queen.

"Well, to maintain peace, I suggest we just try Griddlebone to see if she's worthy enough to rejoin the tribe." Deuteronomy offered, realizing they were on the verge of a fight

"Did you try Demeter to see if she was worthy? Or did you just throw her in with your oldest son and stick her on the council?" Griddlebone snapped. Demeter stood up violently, knocking over an old bit of pottery with her tail.

"Oh, that's so the last straw!" She seethed, moving forward.

"But it sort of what happened…" Jellylorum pointed out, siding with her sister. Demeter was momentarily torn between the two. She shook her head, calming down as Munkustrap pulled her into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her.

"No, it isn't." She said, trying to stay calm.

"How am I different?" Griddlebone demanded of her, leaning back on a stack of old books.

"You're different because you know what exactly Macavity is accomplishing by make our tribe bigger." Jellylorum reminded her. Griddlebone was stunned in silence for a second.

"I can't tell you." She said in a slightly mortified fashion.

"See, we can't trust her." Bombalurina put in, placing a paw on Demeter's shoulder.

"Why not?" The gold queen demanded.

"If there's anyone in here besides me that knew the answer to that, Goldie, it'd be you." She said smoothly. There was another ringing silence throughout the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Demeter mutter defensively after half a minute of mind numbing silence. Eight sets of eyes fixed themselves on her. "Wanna tell them how you used to be Macavity's mate? And how YOU knew about his plan for the ball?" She said, enjoying her moment of not being the bad guy, for once. Munkustrap and Bombalurina withdrew their paws from her shoulders.

"Is that true?" Munkustrap asked quietly.

"You told me you didn't know…" Bombalurina said slowly, hurt crossing her face briefly. Griddlebone's wry smile seemed plastered to her face.

"Well, Goldie?"

"I… I tried to warn you…" She said, shrinking backwards into the wall. There was another pause before Deuteronomy spoke.

"I understand that both you two have had past relationships with Macavity, but any deed is forgivable. I ask my council to keep this in mind as they vote from both the acceptance of Demeter and Griddlebone. Griddlebone," There was a pause. "You are excused. As are you, Demeter." The two fled from the room together. There was a collective sigh from the rest of the council as they left. "Well, that leaves one thing left for us to do." Deuteronomy stated the obvious, going through the normal process. "Who will speak for Griddlebone?" Jellylorum stood up, nodding to the respected leader.

"I will." She said, closing her eyes briefly.

"Will anyone else speak for Griddlebone?" Silence ensued. "Who will speak for Demeter?" If the previous pause had been silence, then the sensation that followed needed a new word to describe it. All eyes rested on Munkustrap and Bombalurina. Mind numbing silence.

"I will." A quiet voice said. Everyone turned around. It was Cassandra who'd spoken, and she was now bowing her head to Deuteronomy. The leader didn't even bother to ask if anyone else would speak for her.

"Let's start with you, then, dear." He said, motioning toward Cassandra, who nodded again. She swallowed hard, words sticking to her dry throat.

"I'll speak for Griddlebone, as well." Deuteronomy nodded his approval for her to begin. She stumbled over her words the first few times round, but finally came up with something that made sense.

"What we've just learned from Griddlebone and Demeter is quite shocking, to say the least, but does it really change who she is? She's been lying to us, but that must mean she has reason. Demeter may have known about what happened at the ball, but there was no harm done in the long run. Griddlebone even said she couldn't tell us." The brown said, shifting slightly.

"That doesn't mean anything. It means she doesn't want to." Tugger spoke up. Cassandra shot him an annoyed look.

"Jellylorum, what would you say is the one thing Griddlebone wants most right now?" She asked, not break eye contact with the tom.

"To live with her children. That was heartbreak in her eyes, I could see it. It's not something someone can fake." She said, bowing her head slightly. Cassandra smirked as she broke eye contact with the Tugger.

"And Munkustrap, why do you think Demeter lied to you?" She asked, gazing at the silver tabby. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because she wasn't physically able to tell the truth." He concluded finally.

"Why do you say that?" She prompted, realizing that she was intruded on something personal, but needing to make a point.

"Because she loves me. And I love her. There's only one reason Demeter would lie to me about something like that." There was another of those mind-numbing silences that was all to common during these meetings.

"Jellylorum?"

"I have nothing to add."

"Then we should vote."

* * *

Griddlebone smirked as she followed Demeter out of the chamber. The all-to-perfect queen was close to tears as she exited the room. They settled down just outside, dead silent, to no avail. They could hear nothing through the wall. Demeter finally broke the silence with a single word.

"Why?" she asked, emotion pouring out all at once. "He'll never forgive me…."

"Aw, having doubts about your doting mate?" Griddlebone asked in a mock-concerned voice dripping with insincerity.

"No." She said defensively.

"It sounds like you are." Griddlebone put in with a small smile.

"Well, I'm not." She sniffled, a tear running down her black-and-gold cheek.

"I bet he's in there right now, talking about how horrible you are for lying to them." Griddlebone said, leaning her head back against the wall. Demeter ran a paw through her headfur.

"They aren't. They're talking on our behalves and voting. I should know." She said, brushing a tear off her cheek.

"There are a lot of things you should know, Goldie." Griddlebone said as she smoothed out the silky white fur on her hips.

"Like what?" She snapped, not knowing what made her say it. She did not want to know what she should know.

"Like your friend in there, the red one. Let's call her Freckles." She decided spontaneously, realizing she did not have a nickname for the queen.

"Bombalurina." Demeter corrected as she stood up to pace back and forth.

"Anyway, Freckles there? She was in on it." The white queen said, admiring her own fur in a vain fashion.

"What?" Demeter questioned, her ears flattening against her head.

"The plan that made you want to run away." She said, finally making eye contact with her new foe. Demeter mustered her courage and walked forward, plucking a grey hair off the white queen's shoulder.

"The fox may grow grey, but it'll never change its ways." She said, offering the hair to a sneering Griddlebone.

* * *

"We've made a decision then?" Deuteronomy asked the room at large. There were nods and quiet words of consent.

"Call them in, then." Gus told Bombalurina, who stood up to fetch them.

"Yes sir." She said in a tone that was dripping with sarcasm. She hated the whole you're older and therefore more important concept. As she entered the main hall, she found Demeter and Griddlebone rather close, and sneering at each other. Slowly shaking twisted thoughts out of her head, she grabbed Demeter's shoulder and jerked her head back toward the room. She spoke a simple phrase that sent chills down her spine.

"It's time."


	6. In a Huff

((Yay Mungo and Rumpel! I still want to rewrite trash and treasure, but this is good stuff XD))

Chapter Six: In a Huff

"Cettie, we gotta talk to you." An orange striped queen with a rich cockney accent murmured, pulling the small cat into her den.

"Guess what our jobs are this week?" A similar black and orange tabby asked her as she entered the den, which was decorated with every little thing you may imagine.

"Uhm, Friday night entertainment?" Etcetera guessed blindly, surprise by the whole thing.

"Nope."

"Guess again."

A pause.

"Saturday night entertainment?" She guessed again after being forced to sit down and eat a bit of biscuit.

"Nope." Rumpelteazer said again in her sing-song voice.

"We're the punishment overseers." Mungojerrie revealed, a broad grin on his face.

"And you're telling me this because…?" She questioned, placing the old piece of bread down on the blanket next to her.

"We caught wind of word that you gave someone a mouse toy full of catnip the other day?" Rumpelteazer questioned, discarding her bread as well.

"Oh, yeah… about that…"

"Trash duty on Friday." Mungojerrie interrupted, throwing his piece of bread over with the others.

"Not very good, is it?" Rumpelteazer questioned.

"It's stale." He replied blandly, turning back to Cettie.

"Trash duty?" She questioned, her mouth slightly agape.

"Yup. You get to pick it up."

"We live in a junkyard!"

"Exactly our point, dearest." Rumpelteazer said, patting her shoulder.

"Tell your sister to come, too." Mungojerrie added before shooing her out the door. They exchanged a smile.

"I like our new job." Rumpelteazer grinned, throwing herself back on her pile of blankets.

"I do too…" Mungojerrie replied, sitting down next to her.

"You sound sad." She pointed out, rolling over to face him.

"Tired, I guess."

"You sleep all day. How can you be tired?"

"I don't know." He replied defensively.

"Do you want to tell me something?" She questioned, sitting up.

"There's nothing to tell you." He said, looking away from her bright yellow eyes.

"Are you sure?" She asked, her lips pursed.

"Yes." He said, glancing downwards again.

"You're lying to me again." She said, placing a paw on her friend's shoulder.

"No, Rumpelteazer, I'm not." He said, looking up at her finally. She didn't say another word, just stood up and left. Just left, as if he'd said something truly offensive. He stared after her for a while before burying his face in his paws.

"Queens."

ooo

Rumpelteazer didn't know where she was going. She didn't care. So long as it was far, far away from where she'd been. Sometimes she just got so mad at her life-long friend, and she never wanted to explode at him. She didn't want to hurt him, she cared too much. But when she got right down to it, she didn't know which would hurt him more- staying, yelling, crashing, apologizing, and crying all night at home, or leaving, screaming, crashing, and crying all night away from home. She'd certainly rather be back in their warm den right now, apologizing for the hurtful things she would have said if she had stayed. And she had this nagging feeling that he would understand and accept her… and hold her. No, that didn't matter. She wanted to be at home because it was warm, safe and dry, unlike the upturned garbage can she found herself in. It wasn't because he'd be there, telling her everything would come out right in the end. As she lay in the back of the garbage bin, she imagined he were there with her. Holding her, whispering to her. She heard what he said.

"Run home, Teazer."  
She didn't.

ooo

The night disappeared and turned to day and Mungojerrie paced the length of his den over and over again. Rumpelteazer always came back after a few hours. Always. Now he began to worry about her, but he immediately stopped himself.

"Why should you care what she does?" He asked himself, flopping down on his bed. He kept repeated that to himself as he finally fell asleep, making up for hours he had missed.

Around nightfall Rumpelteazer crept back into the den and curled up in her bed. She was fairly sure she'd caught cold, but was too tired to go to Jenny. Her original intent had been to sleep somewhere else so she could continue her life back here, but she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night. As she kneaded the blankets up in content, she looked at her friend and sighed. She'd have to talk to him when he woke up. She should stay awake to wait for him. Her plan died hard as she flopped down and fell asleep, as if unconscious.

When Mungojerrie woke up, the first thing he noticed was that Rumpelteazer had returned and was now sleeping on the pile of blankets next to him, curled up in a tight ball. He rolled over and sat up, gazing at her for a second. Then he left, knowing that she wouldn't want to talk when she woke up.

Rumpelteazer woke up about three hours later, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she sat up. She was in a better mood now, and fully ready to confront Mungojerrie and apologize for walking out on him. She looked around the den and realized it was empty.

"He left…" She murmured, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders. Why had he left? Maybe he didn't want to talk to her, but why? Every time she left, he was always there when she got back, wanting to know what happened, if he'd said something.

"I guess it's true what they say," She said to nobody in particular as she stood up. "You don't know what you have til it's gone." But who says that, really? Besides herself, of course. She began pacing back and forth, imagining all the scenes that could have lead to him leaving.

The one that kept replaying in her head was him being happy she left and upon seeing that she'd come back and leaving in a huff.


	7. Do no Harm

(Yay updating! And -gasp- A plot! xD)

Chapter Seven: Do no Harm

Rumpelteazer sighed as she packed up a few of her favorite belongings. She couldn't stand the waiting any more, so she decided to leave. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Rumpelteazer was ready to leave. She'd packed up only what she needed- some food, a blanket, and her favorite things. While she didn't really need keepsakes, leaving home without them would be too hard for her. As she left the Hall, she realized the irony of it all- her leaving in the first place was what had caused the instability between herself and Mungojerrie in the first place.

"Oh well," She mumbled to herself as she wriggled her way out of the junkyard via a hole in the fence. "You're always runnin'. That's how you make things better." It was a quiet night and her words seemed to echo hundreds of times. She shook of the momentary shock and began down the street adjacent to the junkyard. As she walked, she became lost in thought. Until a door swung open, it was rather peaceful. The human that stepped out threw something out.

"Out you go, Jacob." Rumpelteazer tensed up. Another cat, or quite possibly a dog. She didn't enjoy company much, so she began to move closer to the building. Unfortunately, the something noticed her.

"Rumpelteazer?" She exhaled loudly.

"Mistoffelees. What are you doin' here? And 'Jacob'?" She questioned, highly amused.

"Well, I kind of got adopted." He said, his nose twitching slightly. Rumpelteazer began laughing loudly.

"It's not funny. What do your humans call you?" He questioned bitterly, trotting along beside her.

"I don't have humans." She replied, sniffing after ceasing her laughter.

"Then what are you doing here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oi'm, ah, visitin'. Family." She lied quickly.

"Oh. Shouldn't Mungojerrie be with you?" He further questioned.

"No… we're not related." She said slowly, her nose twitching.

"I thought you were…"

"Well, we aren't." She said tartly, hoping up on a dumpster. "Oi've gotta go."

"Alright… see you around, I guess." He shrugged, turning around to head back to the junkyard.

ooo

"You got lucky." Demeter sneered as she exited the council's room, closely followed by a smirking Griddlebone.

"Sour?" She asked, flicking her tail carefully. Demeter's paws formed fists and she was about to lunge at her, but she felt a paw on her shoulder. It was Bombalurina. Demeter sank back into her friend and tried to calm down as Griddlebone left, laughing quietly. Demeter followed Bombalurina into Munkustrap's den, throwing herself on her bed as they entered. She felt like crying, yet didn't want to. Not now, not here, and most defiantly not in front of Bombalurina.

"You know, you got lucky too." She said, rubbing her friend's shoulders.

"I don't feel lucky. Help me pack." She said sadly, sitting up straight. She looked at her golden paws and ran one through her headfur before standing up and grabbing a cloth bag off a shelf.

"It could be worse." Bombalurina offered, folding her bedding and pillow carefully and slipping them into the bag.

"Yeah, I could be sentenced to death." She said sarcastically, wrapping her things in old bits of soft cloth.

"It won't be so bad." Her friend replied as she finished packing Demeter's things.

"Yes, it will. I don't know how I'll live. Or where, for that matter." She said sadly, tying the two bags shut.

"With me." Bombalurina offered.

"Oh, no… Tugger would be so…"

"I never said with Tugger. Come help me pack my things." She said, smiling over her shoulder. Demeter felt a twinge of hope as they left to go get her friend's things.

ooo

"Jemima, be a dear and go get the rest of the council to greet the guests." Jellylorum mumbled, pushing her daughter on the back.

"Make Etcy do it, I want to be here." She complained, pouting slightly.

"Just go." She hissed, sending Jemima running off to get everyone. She was back with them within minutes.

"Are they here yet?" She panted between breaths, doubling over for lack of air.

"Not yet. Good nightfall, Deuteronomy, Father." She greeted them. The rest of the remainder of the council followed shortly.

"When are they due to arrive?" Cassandra asked slowly, taking a seat on the carpeted floor next to Old Deuteronomy. The others settled down in a circle.

"Soon." Deuteronomy replied, stretching slightly.

"Who'd you send to greet them?" Jemima asked, bubbling with curiosity.

"Sillabub went, I believe." Deuteronomy said with a nod.

"I hope she gets back soon." The kitten replied, bouncing slightly.

"Why are you so excited?" Her sister questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"I like meeting new people." She said with a smile. There was a tense silence as they waited for Sillabub to return. Finally the little yellow queen slipped through the drainpipe, followed closely by four others.

"I thought there were nine of you?" Deuteronomy questioned a middle-aged Persian queen.

"There were. I'm afraid some were so weak that they could not make it." She replied stonily as she hugged him. "It's good to see you again, Deuteronomy."

"Ah, who is this?" Alonzo questioned his mate, who shrugged.

"Forgive me, where are my manners? I am Myopia, the leader of the LaFaye tribe." She said, bowing slightly to Alonzo.

"Alonzo. It's good to have you." He said blankly. They'd been taught protocols for these situations when they were young.

"I suppose I should introduce the remainder of my tribe, as well. This is Xertz, none of his family made it, I'm afraid." She said, introducing a small yellow tom with bright green eyes. He nodded, but made no other sign of greeting.

"He can stay with me, I have the room." Tugger said slowly, swallowing hard. Munkustrap looked up at him. He shook his head and Myopia continued.

"This is Zyrestic. None of her family made it either." She said slowly, shaking her head. The tall brown queen also nodded, her eyes starring fixedly straight ahead.

"I have room, too. If she wouldn't mind bunking with me." Munkustrap offered lamely. Zyrestic nodded again, more slowly this time.

"And my only daughter, Aubade." She finished, gesturing to the last cat. She looked very much like her mother, with short, fluffy gray hair and stunning yellow eyes. She nodded as well, equally quiet. "I'd prefer to have her in the same den as me." Myopia added. Deuteronomy nodded. "We'll have a storage room cleaned out for you. Please, make yourselves at home. Consider yourselves part of our tribe." Myopia hugged Deuteronomy again. Her followers merely nodded and filed out of the main room after the two.

"Well, that was odd." Cassandra finally said after a few quiet moments.

"They're odd people." Sillabub said with a frown.

"Nothing at all like Iony." Alonzo pointed out.

"Post Traumatic Shock Syndrome." Jemima said, standing up.

"Wassit?" Her sister questioned, turning to look at her.

"They're… shell-shocked. I mean, they lost their entire tribe." She explained slowly, twitching slightly.

"Demeter said-" Cassandra bit her lip and turned away from them, realizing she'd slipped up. There was a tense pause.

"I'm gonna go clean up my den." Munkustrap finally said, padding away.

"Way to go, Cassy." The brown muttered to herself as she stood up.

ooo

"Hey, Mungojerrie?" The tom jumped at the sound of a queen's voice. Was it Rumpelteazer? He skittered to the door, threw it open, and…

Demeter.

"Oh, hi… Demeter. Did you need somethin'?" He asked, moving back into his mess of a den. She followed him in casually, letting the flap fall behind her. She sat down on his bed, watching him as he moved around, trying to clean things up.

"Actually, yes. I heard about Rumpelteazer." She said rather bluntly, crossing her legs and leaning back on her elbows.

"Oh, yeah… believe it or not, I'd ratha not talk about that." He said, turning around.

"I just want to talk about it… you know, did you hear about the trial?" She said, glancing away from him.

"Oh, yeah… I did… Do'ya mind if I sit?" He asked awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot.

"It's your den." She laughed quietly, moving aside so he could sit down.

"Roight… roight… So, what did you want?" He asked awkwardly as he sat down next to her.

"Well, I need somewhere to stay…" She said, her nose twitching.

"You can stay here, Oi guess." He said quickly, shifting on the bed.

"But for now, we'll just…" She murmured, leaning forward and closing the distance between their faces.

ooo

Rumpelteazer jumped out of the dumpster she had been staying in, shaking bits of trash off her fur. She was cold, she was sick, and she was alone. Tears seared her cheeks as she jumped back onto the cold, hard ground and she felt her legs give way. She lay there on the concrete for a second before she tried to stand up. Taking a few steps, she summoned the strength to stagger home. As she reached the Hall, the warmth pushed her forward. She'd be home soon, and she could talk it over with Mungojerrie. She hurried through the Main Hall, ignoring the talk about her, and pushed onto the grand staircase. Finally she found herself in front of her old den, paw to the door. She felt rather faint, and nervous. Random thoughts flew through her head as she pushed the door open. Would he be happy to see her? Relieved? Living life normally? Disappointed to see her?

Or might he be snogging Demeter on his bed? She put a paw to her face, suddenly dizzy. The couple finally noticed her presence and they broke apart. Rumpelteazer blacked out, collapsing to the floor.

As she woke up, she heard hushed voices around her, talking about her.

"Is she, like, dead?" Demeter.

"No, she's foine. Why are you here?" Mungojerrie. She reached toward him without thinking.

"She's not dead!" Demeter exclaimed happily. "Come on, Bomba, you owe me a mouse."

"Wha' are they…?" Rumpelteazer asked quietly, sitting up.

"Don't strain yourself, Teaza." She moved to hug him, but suddenly she remembered what she'd seen and sat bolt upright. Demeter and Bombalurina had gone.

"Don't call me that." She demanded, swinging her legs over the side of the book she'd been sleeping on to stand up.

"Teaza, you really shouldn't…" He said, grabbing her shoulder.

"Don't call me that." She said a little bit louder, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Look, Teaza, I don't know why you're so worked up abou'…" She growled as she went to her things, which had been unpacked.

"What are ya, an idiot?" She seethed, grabbing a blanket to wrap her things up in.

"You mean Demeter?" He said quietly, sitting down on his bed and burying his face in his paws.

"Yes, I mean Demeter." She mumbled, turning around to face him.

"Look, we jus' got together, and I know you don't loike her… but…" Rumpelteazer stumbled backwards as if she'd been slapped. Why was he brushing this off like it was nothing? The answer hit her hard- because they were just friends, and she was nothing more to him. But then why did it hurt her so much? Because she loved him, and not in that brotherly way she thought she had. She licked her lips slowly before opening her mouth to speak.

"Look, Jer, it was a mistake for me ta come back. I shouldn'ta. And I suppose I'll leave again, because, I don't think I can stand seein' ya with her every day, because… because.." She stuttered, wiping a tear from her cheek quickly as she turned around. "Oi'm in love with you. And I always have been, jus' didn't realize it before. So that's why I'm leaving." He was silent for a painful moment before standing up.

"Please don't leave, Teaza… I really was worried abou' you while you were gone. I couldn't stop thinkin' abou' you and why you left… I thought you were mad at me." He said slowly, breaking eye contact with her. "Even if ya do leave, stay here til ya get better, you're sick." He said, placing a paw on her cheek gingerly. They were so close together, Rumpelteazer realized, and she really shouldn't… but she did. She kissed him, just wanting to be with him for a miniute before he broke her heart. As they broke apart she began crying silently, leaning on him. To her it seemed as if he hugged her forever.


	8. The Knell of the Union

(Disclaimer: I AM NOT, NEVER HAVE BEEN, AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL BE AFFILATED WITH ANDREW LYODD WEBBER, RUG, or CATS. ((Reality rears its ugly head.)) Don't own, just writing weird stories about it for fun. )

Nine of Spades

The Knell of the Union

Demeter had called that grubby car boot her home for fourteen hours now. She'd watched the moon rise and set through a hole in the roof where the metal had worn thin. Although her new den was homey enough- if not rundown, there was something wrong. Throughout the entire night Demeter had cried into her blanket. She had been cold. So very, very cold that she was certain she'd die before the night was over. It wasn't that it had been a particularly cold night- winter had past and spring was now settling in, giving the nights a balmy quality. No, it was hardly that. That night had been the first she'd spent since the council meeting. That night was the first without her mate beside her to keep her warm and whisper to her when she awoke in a fright. Of course, there would be no awaking as she couldn't even sleep. The tribe that they had decided to help- they'd come sooner or later. Demeter wouldn't be there to greet them. She wasn't going to leave her den ever again.

A few weeks passed in such a fashion: Demeter in hiding and Bombalurina bringing her leftover mice from the big slaughter they held every night- a Jellicle Dinner, if you will. Thoughts of things remaining this way forever seriously crossed Demeter's mind but a sweet voice called her out of hiding.

"Demeter?" The said voice called from outside. Demeter lifted her head. She knew that voice- it was Cassandra's. She reflected briefly on how she missed her friend- she hadn't spoken to anyone but Bombalurina since the council meeting. Standing up, she pushed her way out of the car boot. Cassandra's ears pricked as her friend came into view. "There you are, Demeter. You've had me worried sick." She said, fretting over Demeter's messy headfur. The golden queen simpered forcefully and then spoke, her voice week from miss-use.

"Sorry… so is that why you've come to look for me?" She asked, batting the Brown's paw away from her face.

"No, actually. You've been called for council duty. You and Lurina both." She explained, withdrawing her paw. Demeter's face fell. She'd forgotten that she was still on the council.

"Oh… alright. We'll be there." Demeter said with a nod, turning slowly back to her new den. Cassandra swallowed hard, wanting to say something. Demeter had really let herself go- her headfur was messy and her coat lacked its normal luster. She just hoped Demeter would be okay.

000

Etcetera was sprawled across the tire, batting lazily at a feather she'd found on an old feather duster. She was talking to her companion, Tumblebrutus, who was also sprawled out, although he was below her on the ground. He wasn't really listening to what she was saying, rather, the sound of her voice.

"Well, I'm sorry, but that just happens to be the way I feel about it." She said, leaning over the edge of the tire. "What do you think?"

"What?" He asked, snapping out of his trance. Etcetera frowned.

"Nobody ever listens to me. I try to be serious, but…" She rolled back onto her other side so Tumblebrutus couldn't see her anymore. He inhaled sharply.

"Uhm, well… I think-" He began, but he was cut off by Etcetera's sharp trill.

"Don't even bother." She said, sitting up. Tumblebrutus stood as well, leaning on the tire to balance himself. "I can't believe, you of all cats." She said, shaking her head.

"Cettie, honestly. So, I zoned out once. Once in how many times?" He asked as she examined her claws. She sighed after a long, tense moment.

"You're right. I couldn't be mad at you for very long, anyway. You're special to me." She apologized quickly. Tumblebrutus's heart skipped a beat. "Like a brother." She added, smiling off into the distance. He felt a sort of twinge in his stomach, but settled down again none the less.

"So, anyway, about Pouncival. What do you think?" She asked again, lying back on the tire.

"Wha-at?" He stammered, shaking his head quickly.

"Do you think I should ask him out? Like, on a date?" She asked again, batting her feather up in the air.

"I… ah… I have to go." Tumblebrutus blurted out quickly as he made a beeline for the hall. He felt broken inside.

000

Bombalurina exhaled loudly as she pushed past others to get to the bottom level of the grand staircase, taking no mercy. She really didn't want to collapse at Tugger's feet again, the way she had last time she left him. It was embarrassing, and she knew it was a huge boost to his ego. No, she wasn't going back to him this time. Never going back.

She ran into somebody, not particularly caring who, until that said somebody apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Bombalurina." Jemima said, her nose twitching. Bombalurina froze, caught up in Jemima's huge brown eyes.

Jemima wasn't anything like her sisters or either of her parents. She was deep mahogany, with underlying hints of pink and fiery red. She was calm and predisposed to thought, unlike Skimbleshanks, let alone Etcetera or Electra. She sang in a high soprano and danced with ease, her small body allowing her to perform certain acrobatic stunts most of her big-boned family couldn't manage. Jemima was very, very different.

"Bombalurina?" The queen's high and fair voice shook Bombalurina from her trance.

"Right dear, it's quite alright." The fiery red queen assured the small kitten, hurrying on her way.

000

Demeter slinked out of the meeting den quickly as soon as it had ended, trying to make her stealthy escape. To no avail. A silver paw caught her shoulder and turned her around forcibly, making her squeal in discomfort. Munkustrap smiled softly before speaking.

"Sorry. I needed to ask you something." He explained calmly as she brushed her shoulder off.

"I don't want to talk." Demeter said bitterly, trying to turn to leave again.

"Wait, I just need to ask you something." He insisted, grabbing her shoulder again.

"Okay, fine. What?" She spat. His stomach twisted at the harsh tone of her voice.

"Will you help Alonzo set up the storage den for the new-new tribe tomorrow?" He said hurriedly. She nodded and turned to leave again, scampering down the hall. "I-" She turned around again at the sound of his voice, looking somewhat pained, somewhat… hopeful. "I hear you and Mungojerrie are dating." Her face fell and she buried it in her paws.

"You heard wrong." She murmured, high-tailing it out of the Hall. Munkustrap could have sworn she was crying as she left.

"Demeter…" He murmured, rubbing his temples.

000

"Another tribe? That's two in less than a month." Bombalurina said quietly to the group of toms and queens that followed her. She exhaled loudly and several others did the same before she spoke again. "Well, what do we know about them?"

"They're called the Eliouqy tribe, they live in the suburbs." Cassandra spoke up, pulling information of the top of her head.

"Their leader, Grandmother Nothorpe, passed away in the attack, leaving her great grand nephew Sambal in charge of the tribe." Alonzo added, nuzzling Cassandra's shoulder as he spoke. Demeter twitched.

"They're staying in the storage hall?" She offered, shrugging. Bombalurina sighed.

"Okay, that's enough." The red queen declared, settling down on an old tire. "When are they getting here?" She asked the group at large.

"Tomorrow." The Rum Tum Tugger replied with a nod of his head as the others dispersed. "Can we talk?" Bombalurina's heart sank. These next few minutes would be very long ones.

000

((THUS ENDS THE CHAPTER. -evil laughter- 'Kays, it's been fun but now I must run and… do things pertaining to tech rehersals. I know it's been forevers since I've updated, but roll with me here. And sorry for all the different melodramatic romances… it'll get better, promise!))


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